I spent a lot of my childhood vacations in Santa Cruz. We had a cottage in the redwoods and we sure had a good time. Lots of memories of swimming and sunburns, salt water taffy, and the roller coaster at the Boardwalk. But summer at the beach was often cold and foggy.

December on the other hand, is clear and gorgeous, if a bit nippy. I have fond memories of a few visits to Monterey Bay when I was young.

The first visit was on December 7. I remember the date because it was the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. I stayed with a friend in a small cottage in Carmel, a few blocks from the beach. It was, of course, too cold for swimming, but just great for walking on the beach and taking photos of the sand. I was into black & white photography in those days and got some great shots of sand and seagulls and sea. I’ll have to go dig them up one of these days, I still have all of my old negatives.

Carmel is such a fun and magically place to be. I loved just strolling through the neighborhood or checking out all the little shops. My friend was an artist and Carmel is a haven for artists and art galleries, so we had a blast. Then we’d buy a few supplies at the deli and picnic on the beach. Very relaxing and refreshing.

My second December visit was a few years later. I decided to take scuba diving lessions one Fall. The classes were in San Francisco but after we learned the ropes, we went for a couple of dives, the first one up the coast somewhere (can’t remember the spot) and the second dive was in Monterey Bay. The weather was beautiful. It wasn’t too cold, but I’ll tell you, putting on a wet wetsuit the second day was not a lot of fun. I had a slight cold and had problems with my ears clearing, so diving was a bit of a problem. But was it so beautiful under water, a wonderful experience for a novice diver.

After the dives, the group of us had a good time eating calimari at some of the local joints on Cannery Row. There was even a Laurel and Hardy film festival going on, if memory serves.

December is a fun time to be in Monterey. Come to think of it, I’ve always had a good time any time of year.